Growltiger's Bo'sun
by Shrapnel-Chan
Summary: “And his bo’sun Tumblebrutus, he too had stol’n away…” So what happens when Tumble gets back after hearing Griddlebone’s screech? And what about his two sons? One-shot. T for character death and a little bit of gore.


Tumblebrutus looked at the rat in front of him. It was big enough to feed both his mate and their two young kittens. He focused on the rat, and, after wiggling his rear in the air for a moment, he pounced. Viciously clawing at the rat, he tumbled with it for a bit, before biting down on its neck, killing it instantly. Tumblebrutus swiftly gathered the now dead rat in his mouth before proudly trotting off to his den to feed his family.

He hadn't taken more than two steps into his den before the small family heard a screech, from the direction of the docks.

"That was the Lady Griddlebone! I'll be back as fast as I can; I have to check on the ship!" With those words, Tumblebrutus ran out the door towards the docks.

The kittens looked at their mother. One, with a brown patch on his left eye, named Pouncival, softly asked, "Dad'll be okay, right Mom?" The other kitten, Tumblebrutus (the younger, he was often just called 'Tumble' to distinguish him from his father), whose brown patch was over his right eye, looked at their mother as well, with large, innocent brown eyes.

The brown and white-striped queen looked at her two sons and sighed, saying only, "I hope so…"

Tumblebrutus ran to the docks, he could hear paws on the deck now, as well as some odd, cruel chuckles. He made it to the ship and looked around; there were empty sampans and junks in the water around the ship.

_The Siamese… Damn them!_

Tumblebrutus climbed up some ropes and hid behind several boxes as he surveyed the situation.

Lady Griddlebone was nowhere to be seen. The Siamese had swarmed the ship, and he could hear some yowls of pain from inside the ship; the Siamese must be killing those inside. Tumblebrutus grit his teeth in anger as he looked for Growltiger, his captain. He finally saw him: Growltiger was being forced to walk the plank. Some of the Siamese, growing bored of toying with their prey, began stomping on their end of the board. Tumblebrutus could only watch as Growltiger lost his footing on the shaking board and fell to his demise; into the Thames. The Siamese began to cheer; they danced and sang of the demise of their long-hated enemy. Growltiger, the great Bravo cat himself, was dead.

After celebrating on the ship for a while, the Siamese left, probably to celebrate more at the Old Bush and Bull. And Tumblebrutus was left alone, the only cat alive left on the ship.

Tumblebrutus returned to his den with a look of stricken grief upon his face. He looked up at the expectant faces of his two tom-kits and his mate. He cleared his throat.

"…We're moving."

His mate looked up at him, her head tilting in confusion.

"Moving…? But… why…?"

"Never mind the how's and why's, we're leaving!"

The queen looked at Tumblebrutus a moment longer before gathering Pouncival up in her mouth. Tumblebrutus grabbed Tumble, and the family left.

After a week of searching, Tumblebrutus still had not found a proper place for him and his family to stay. But, tragedy was about to strike again.

On the seventh day after they left, the four were resting in a cardboard box, when a pack of pollicles came across them. Tumblebrutus and his mate instinctively jumped in front of their kittens. The battle that ensued was undoubtedly suicide for Tumblebrutus. He launched himself at the pollicles, claws unsheathed and yowling loudly. His mate swiftly grabbed Pouncival in her mouth and gathered Tumble up into her arms before running. The pollicles, having finished Tumblebrutus off, chased after the queen and the two small kittens.

They ran. For how far and how long, Tumble and Pounce did not know. All they knew was that their dad wasn't moving, and they were running from the huge, drooling beasts. Eventually, the three encountered the scent of other cats as they approached a junkyard. The queen set her kittens down and spoke.

"Follow the scent of these cats, stay with them. Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, I love you. And your father does too."

With that, she launched herself into the air, landing on the back of the biggest pollicle and clamping down on his neck. The terrified kittens did as their mother told them to do, and ran from the fight. As they reached the entrance to the junkyard, a large silver shape suddenly landed in front of the tom-kits.

The cat growled, low in his throat, before realizing that the intruders were merely kittens.

"Kittens..? Where are your parents?"

Pounce merely looked scared and looked to Tumble, who spoke quickly.

"Po-pollicles. Pollicles attacked us. Dad was fighting, and mom took us and ran. They followed us. Mom told us to follow the scent here and then _she_ started fighting, too. Dad… Dad wasn't moving!" After yelling out this last bit, Tumble burst into tears.

A small crowd had formed around the silver tabby and the two kits. A black and gold queen looked on, pity visibly washing over her as she sat next to a curvy scarlet queen, who was eyeing the kits sadly. A tom with a huge, fluffy mane sat in the middle of a ring of eight kittens: a white queen-kit, with two black and white tuxedo tom-kits beside her, one had three white paws and was rather smaller than the others, the other had four black paws; two queen-kits, obviously sisters, one darker, the other lighter with white head fur; a pair of orange, black and white striped cats who were holding paws, apparently mates, or getting there; and a black, red, and white queen-kit with large, round eyes. Two motherly-looking cats watched with pity as well, with two toms beside them: one was rather large and round and looked an awful lot like the tuxedo tom-kits sitting with the white queen; the other was marmalade colored and wore a funny black vest. There was also a black queen sitting with a black and white patched tom, and a tom with brown patches over both eyes a few feet away from the two.

The silver tabby looked at the tom-kits, who were both crying now, and then looked at the black and white patched tom. The patched tom nodded, and began gathering up the males who were old enough to fight while the silver tabby went to console the young kittens; they would need to show them the way.

"Hey, it's okay, no one's going to hurt you. My name's Munkustrap, can you tell me yours?"

Tumble looked up from his brother, tears still running down his face, and stuttered out, "T-tumbleb-brutus. M-my brother's n-n-name is P-pounciv-v-val." He then promptly buried his face in his brother's side. The black and gold queen stepped away from the scarlet queen and pulled the kittens close to her, making quiet comforting noises to soothe them.

By this time, the patched tom had gathered up the males they could bring: the black-vested cat, the tuxedo tom-kit with black paws, and the cat with the mane were right behind him.

"Alright Munkustrap, I got Skimble, Misto, and Tugger."

"Thanks Alonzo. Er, Tumblebrutus? Pouncival? I need you two, or at least one of you, to lead us to your parents. Er, Alonzo, why don't we bring Admetus and Bomba, too, they can help us bring their parents back."

At Munkusrap's words, the male with twp brown patches and the scarlet female came forward.

Tumblebrutus stopped crying and stood up.

"I can lead you to Mom, and Pounce can lead you to Dad!"

Beside Tumble, Pouncival nodded, standing as well, though his tears did not stop.

Munkustrap smiled sadly at the kittens before him.

"Thanks, Tumblebrutus, Pouncival. Alright, let's get moving! Bomba, Admetus, you two follow Pouncival; Alonzo, Skimble, Misto, Tugger and I will follow Tumblebrutus to those pollicles."

At the mention of the pollicles, Munkustrap scowled. Everyone nodded, and the two kittens took off, Admetus and Bomba following Pounce, and everyone else following Tumble.

Pouncival ran to where he knew his father lay, Bombalurina and Admetus following as fast as they could. The trio darted past countless alleys, before finally reaching their destination. Pounce sped up as soon as he saw his father, but stopped abruptly. Bomba and Admetus very nearly ran into him as they skidded to a halt. Admetus, looking at Pounce in confusion, let out a tentative "Pouncival…?"

Pouncival's reply made Bomba and Admetus both look up in fear, and shivers ran down their spines, making their fur stand on end and their tails puff out.

"Pollicle…"

Tumblebrutus ran quickly, with energy only a kitten could have, the others coming swiftly behind him. He came to an abrupt stop, staring wide-eyed at a horrific scene. The others gasped in shock as they caught up.

There was blood everywhere; the smell of a cat's blood mingled with that of a pollicles. The body of one pollicle lay in a puddle of the dark red that oozed from its body. And not two feet from the dead pollicle lay Tumblebrutus' mother. The kitten stared, wide-eyed, as his young, naïve mind was filled with the scene.

"Mother… MOM!" Tumblebrutus ran forward, and stood next to his mother, tears already forming as he looked upon his dead mother. A shadow covered Tumblebrutus. Munkustrap and the other cats looked on in horror as a huge drooling pollicle stood over Tumblebrutus, snatching him up in his great, huge paws.

"Well, well, looks like I was right. Jellicles _are_ involved in this. Well, you sorry excuse for a life? Where's the baby brother you ran off with, huh? I would love to get rid of your whole family; after all, you all trespassed on our territory!"

Munkustrap cut in by slashing at the arm that held Tumblebrutus. The huge pollicle dropped the kitten, and Munkustrap picked Tumble up and deposited him safely with Misto.

"Their family has nothing to do with your quarrel with the Jellicles, Bane. I'm certain you remember our agreement?"

"They broke that treaty when they trespassed!"

"It was unknowingly trespassing; they're not even from around here!"

Munkustrap was low on the ground now, his belly grazing the ground as he glared up at Bane and growled. Alonzo and Skimble joined him, hissing and growling at the huge pollicle. Blue sparks jumped along Misto's fingertips as he took a protective stance in front of Tumblebrutus. Munkustrap spoke again.

"Allow us to leave in peace with the bodies of the queen and the tom; at least let us give them a proper sendoff. Please."

Bane growled, and then nodded once. "Fine. Take their bodies, and the brats. It means nothing to me. After all, where's the fun in killing a kitten?" And with that, Bane slunk off, deeper into the alleyway.

Pounce, Bomba, and Admetus looked up in fear as the pollicle picked up the dead tom in his arms, Bomba and Admetus protecting the tom-kit.

"Here. I have no use for a body."

He set the body down in front of the three cats, then stalked off into a nearby alleyway.

"Alright, let's call Munkustrap." And with that, Admetus let out a caterwaul.

Bombalurina glared at Admetus for yelling in her ear a moment before going over to console Pouncival.

Pouncival ignored the other two as he lay down beside his father and wept.

_Please, please let Mom be alive…_

From nearby, Munkustrap and Co. heard Admetus' caterwaul.

"That's the signal. Let's head over there," Munkustrap stated.

The other cats nodded in agreement as they lifted the dead queen. Swiftly they took off to the source of the caterwaul.

When they arrived, Admetus and Bomba were trying to console Pouncival as he cried at his father's side. Tumble hurried to Pounce's side. Tumble's eyes widened as he watched their father, as Pounce looked up at Tumble.

"Is mom… alive?" Pounce asked this with hope shining in his eyes. Tumble continued to avert his gaze from his brother's face as he shook his head 'no'. Pounce's face continued to fall as he began crying yet again. Munkustrap saw this and came over, gathering the two in a big hug.

"I'm so sorry…"

The tom-kits cried in Munkustrap's arms as he rocked and comforted them. _Yes_, he thought, _I will take them into the tribe._

And thus Tumblebrutus and Pouncival joined the Jellicle tribe.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Okay, this is officially the longest thing I have ever written. This one-shot is seven pages long. I hope it wasn't too silly or anything like that… I wrote this merely on a whim because I couldn't get that one line out of my head, which led to this.

"_And his bo'sun Tumblebrutus, he too had stol'n away…"_

It bugged me all through school today; I thought I would never finish! Anyways, R/R, and please enjoy!


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